{"id":45107,"date":"2018-02-13T11:01:45","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T11:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/?p=45107"},"modified":"2018-02-13T11:06:27","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T11:06:27","slug":"important-message-achashverosh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/important-message-achashverosh\/","title":{"rendered":"An Important Message from Achashverosh"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wish that every student with whom I work developed according to a predictable, linear path.\u00a0 Such is not the case.\u00a0 Students graduate and each develops uniquely.\u00a0 Some continually grow in their commitment to Torah and Judaism.\u00a0 Others struggle.\u00a0 Some of those who struggle experience periods during which observance becomes a daunting challenge.\u00a0 Some surrender to the challenge and abandon observance.\u00a0 For an educator, this is disheartening. However, it is encouraging that many of those who stray from observance rediscover their commitment later in life.\u00a0 This raises an interesting question.\u00a0 Is there something unique about the outlook of those who return to observance?\u00a0 How can we explain their experience?\u00a0 How do they find the path back to observance after abandoning their commitment?<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This question is relevant to each of us. We each have our individual struggles with observance.\u00a0 The expectations of the Torah are intentionally endless.\u00a0 By design, each step of our spiritual growth is intended to be followed by a new quest and challenge.\u00a0 Sometimes, that next step seems a little too steep and we feel unable to meet the test.\u00a0 Hopefully, we will not give up but instead, strive to meet the challenge.\u00a0 And if not today, then perhaps, tomorrow or the next day we will discover the inner courage and tenacity to meet the challenge that now overpowers us.\u00a0 Can we learn something from these individuals, who have abandoned their observance and yet, found a path home?\u00a0 Can these individuals who somehow found a beacon that brought them home teach us something about responding to the challenges that we face?<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now it came to pass in the days of Achashverosh \u2013 he was the Achashverosh who reigned from Hodu to Cush,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>one hundred twenty-seven provinces.\u00a0 (Megilat Esther 1:1)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Megilat Esther tells two stories<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Megilat Esther tells two stories.\u00a0 One is the narrative of the salvation of the Jewish people from an evil adversary who would have destroyed them.\u00a0 In this narrative, a set of unlikely events leads to placing the heroine, Esther, in a position from which she is uniquely suited and situated to intervene to save her people.\u00a0 At the same time, a series of equally unlikely events, leads the king, Achashverosh, to suspect the loyalty of his most trusted advisor \u2013 the evil Haman.\u00a0 As the story unfolds, one unlikely event establishes the foundation for the next unlikely event.\u00a0 The message of the narrative is that an invisible hand is at work behind the scenes. This hand \u2013 Hashem\u2019s providence \u2013 is preparing the means for Bnai Yisrael\u2019s salvation even before, and while, Haman executes his plan for their destruction.<\/p>\n

    The second story told by the Megilah concerns the interactions of disparate personalities. The characters in this narrative are Achashverosh, Haman, Mordechai, and Esther.\u00a0 Each is unique and different from the others.\u00a0 The account of their interactions with one another and the influence that each has on the others is an exploration of human personality, our strengths and our challenges.\u00a0 If we study these characters, we discover that a little of each of us can be discerned in each of these disparate characters.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    And when these days were over, the king made for all the people present in Shushan the capital, for [everyone]\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>both great and small, a banquet for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s orchard. (Megilat Esther 1:5)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    In the evening she would go, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s chamberlain, the guard of the concubines; she would no longer come to the king\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>unless the king wanted her, and she was called by name. (Megilat Esther 2:14)<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Achashverosh the hedonist<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Let us begin with Achashverosh.\u00a0 What type of person was this mighty king?\u00a0 What does the Megilah reveal about his personality?\u00a0 He was a powerful ruler.\u00a0 He demanded and received the loyalty and obedience of princes and ministers from throughout the far-flung territories of his vast kingdom.\u00a0 Yet, the formality of the Persian court and its standards of decorum made the mighty King Achashverosh uneasy.\u00a0 After celebrating the consolidation of his rule for 180 days with the princes, ministers, and officers of his kingdom, Achashverosh convened a second seven-day feast.\u00a0 Unlike the first celebration, this feast was not intended primarily for the dignitaries of the kingdom.\u00a0 It was held for the common citizens of Shushan \u2013 his capital.\u00a0 Apparently, Achashverosh needed a release.\u00a0 The demands of the court were oppressive.\u00a0 The prolonged celebration and the responsibility of entertaining the royalty and dignitaries of his kingdom placed enormous strain upon Achashverosh. He rewarded himself with a celebration with the common people, in which wine flowed freely, and each person drank as he desired.\u00a0 At this party, Achashverosh finally felt at ease.\u00a0 He allowed himself the indulgent pleasure of drunkenness, with an outcome that he later regretted.<\/p>\n

      Achashverosh was also a person of enormous appetites.\u00a0 In his loneliness, he sought the companionship of women.\u00a0 He created a harem populated by the most beautiful women of his kingdom.\u00a0 Women were recruited from every province and presumably the king would select one to be queen in place of the deposed Vashti.\u00a0 But Achashverosh spent only one night with each young woman.\u00a0 His quest for a queen was replaced by an adventure in lust. Appetite ruled his actions.\u00a0 Achashverosh was a hedonist.\u00a0 Yet, this uncouth hedonist fell completely in love with Esther. Who was Esther and how did she secure the devotion of such an unlikely suitor?<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      And the maiden pleased him, and she won his favor, and he hastened her ointments and her portions to give [them] to her,\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>and the seven maidens fitting to give her from the king’s house, and he changed her and her maidens\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>to the best [portions in] the house of the women. (Megilat Esther 2:9)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Esther: Beauty and virtue<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The Megilah reveals two qualities of Esther.\u00a0 She was beautiful.\u00a0 She was also a woman of charm and virtue.\u00a0 In the above passage, we are told that while held in the harem, she earned the respect and devotion of its master.\u00a0 This man \u2013 who was essentially a purveyor of women to the king \u2013 lavished upon Esther his care and attention.\u00a0 Something about her won the admiration of even this base creature.<\/p>\n

        The Talmud in Tractate Ketubot describes a practice of Rav Shmuel the son of Rav Yitzchak. This sage would dance before the bride while grasping three myrtle branches.\u00a0 The Talmud applauds his practice of celebrating before the bride and groom and specifically his enthusiasm in the practice of this mitzvah.[1]<\/a> But the Talmud does not comment on the significance of the three myrtle branches that Rav Shmuel grasped while dancing.<\/p>\n

        There is a hint to the significance of these branches in the Megilah.\u00a0 The Hebrew word for myrtle is hadassah<\/i>.\u00a0 The Megilah tells us that Esther had a Hebrew name. That name was Hadassah.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Perhaps, the significance of the branches that Rav Shmuel grasped when dancing before the bride is that they represent the Hadassah of the Megilah \u2013 Esther.\u00a0 In grasping these branches, Rav Shmuel compared the bride to Esther.<\/p>\n

        The declaration of Rav Shmuel is consistent with an earlier discussion in the Talmud. \u00a0There, the school of Hillel rules that one should declare before every bride that she is pleasant in both appearance and character.\u00a0 The school of Shamai disagrees.\u00a0 This school rules that although it is appropriate to praise a bride, one\u2019s praise should be truthful.\u00a0 Therefore, the praise should be adapted to the actual qualities of the particular bride.\u00a0 If she is, in fact, pleasant in appearance and character, then that praise should be used.\u00a0 But if such praise would be untruthful, then a more accurate praise should be substituted.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

        Rav Shmuel grasped his myrtle branches at every wedding celebration and danced with them before the bride.\u00a0 He compared every bride to Esther \u2013 pleasant in appearance and in character.\u00a0 Through this practice he adopted the position of the school of Hillel.<\/p>\n

        The discussion in the Talmud stresses the importance of virtue in a bride in addition to beauty.\u00a0 It is the combination of both traits that secures the love of the husband.\u00a0 Beauty may secure the groom\u2019s fascination and even infatuation.\u00a0 But it is the combination of beauty and virtue that secures his devotion.<\/p>\n

        Now, let us return to Esther and her relationship with Achashverosh.\u00a0 Esther was beautiful.\u00a0 But so were the other members of the extensive harem created for Achashverosh.\u00a0 It is not likely that she was the most beautiful woman with whom the king had a liaison.\u00a0 What won his devotion?\u00a0 Esther was unique in her character.\u00a0 Apparently, this character earned Esther the dedication of the master of the harem and also secured the absolute devotion of Achashverosh.<\/p>\n

        In short, the hedonistic Achashverosh, who was seeking only orgiastic pleasure, was completely taken by Esther.\u00a0 But his complete devotion was not because of some unique physical beauty that Esther possessed.\u00a0 It was a result of a spiritual character that somehow radiated from her.\u00a0 How strange that the hedonist was smitten by virtuous Esther!\u00a0 How can this be explained?<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        But it seemed contemptible to him to lay hands on Mordechai alone, for they had told him Mordechai’s nationality, and Haman<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout Achashverosh’s entire kingdom, Mordechai’s people.\u00a0 (Megilat Esther 3:6)<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Haman\u2019s hatred of Mordechai<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          We will return to this issue.\u00a0 But first let us consider another of the relationships described in the Megilah \u2013 the relationship between Haman and Mordechai.\u00a0 What do we know about these characters?\u00a0 The Megilah describes Haman as driven by the desire to secure power and influence.\u00a0 At first, this drive propelled him to the highest levels of influence in the court.\u00a0 Eventually, this same drive led to his downfall when Achashverosh recognized Haman\u2019s true character and motives.<\/p>\n

          Mordechai was above all guided by his religion and ethics.\u00a0 He protected his sovereign from conspirators who sought to depose and murder him.\u00a0 He guarded Esther and cared for her.\u00a0 He fought for the welfare of his people.\u00a0 He absolutely refused to bow to Haman and worship him.\u00a0 And Haman intensely hated Mordechai.<\/p>\n

          How strange! Mordechai and Haman, Achashverosh and Esther.\u00a0 Two pairs of opposites.\u00a0 In one pair the opposites repel one other.\u00a0 Haman hates Mordechai and is consumed by a hatred that he can only conceive of satisfying through the murder of his adversary and the total annihilation of his people.\u00a0 In the other pair, opposites are attracted. The hedonistic Achashverosh is completely smitten by the virtuous Esther.\u00a0 He must have her as his queen.\u00a0 How are such different reactions to be explained?<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Responding to those who have virtues we lack<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            The answer is very simple and basic.\u00a0 Despite his many shortcomings, Achashverosh had the capacity to appreciate virtue.\u00a0 He did not have the capacity to achieve it and he struggled to just contain his passions and impulses.\u00a0 But he recognized virtue and he appreciated it.\u00a0 He was drawn to Esther and eventually he placed his trust in Mordechai.<\/p>\n

            In contrast, Haman was threatened by virtue.\u00a0 He could not tolerate it and sought to destroy it.\u00a0 Mordechai\u2019s refusal to bow to him was intolerable.\u00a0 It evoked in Haman a self-awareness of his own inescapable humanity and mortality. Haman was attempting to kill not just Mordechai and the Jewish people but a fundamental truth.\u00a0 We are all finite, mortal human beings.\u00a0 Our power is illusionary and even the illusion can last no longer than the fleeting passage of a lifetime.<\/p>\n

            Haman and Achashverosh had much in common.\u00a0 Both were confronted by individuals who represented to them a set of virtues very alien to their own values and lifestyles.\u00a0 Both were challenged by their respective partners to consider an alternative to their own path in life.\u00a0 Haman was confronted by Mordechai.\u00a0 Achashverosh was challenged by Esther.\u00a0\u00a0 Haman responded by attempting to uproot and destroy the truth he could not endure.\u00a0 Achashverosh had the capacity to recognize and value that truth even though he could not personally live his life according to its demands.<\/p>\n

            Some years ago I had an interesting conversation with a former student.\u00a0 This young man had given up many aspects of his Torah observance.\u00a0 I told him that I understood that many Torah practices were difficult for him.\u00a0 But certainly, many other aspects were not so challenging.\u00a0 Why not continue those practices that resonated with him?\u00a0 He responded that were he to resume those practices, he would be reminded of his failure to observe other practices.\u00a0 If he observed kashrut, he would be reminded of his failure to observe Shabbat.\u00a0 Rather than be haunted by this reminder of failure, he preferred to abandon virtually all observance.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

            Years passed and he slowly began to increase his level of observance.\u00a0 What changed and allowed this person to reverse course and re-engage in Judaism?\u00a0 He came to see life as a journey.\u00a0 We travel toward a distant goal.\u00a0 That goal is to make the most of ourselves.\u00a0 At every moment, we are more than the person we might have been and less than the person we may yet become.\u00a0 If we understand that we are on a journey, then we can be like Achashverosh.\u00a0 We can recognize virtue, value and even treasure it, even though at the moment it escapes our grasp.\u00a0 But if see ourselves only as we are at the moment, without the vision of a great journey that lay before us, then every virtue we lack is an insult hurled at us.\u00a0\u00a0 We become Haman \u2013 intolerant of the virtues that remind us of our failings.<\/em><\/p>\n

            I believe that this young man, as he matured, came to see his life as a journey. The realization that he could be more than he was at the moment, gave him the capacity to travel the path toward self-realization and fulfillment.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

            \u00a0_____________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

            [1]<\/a> Masechet Ketubot 17a.<\/p>\n

            [2]<\/a> Megilat Esther 2:7.<\/p>\n

            [3]<\/a> Masechet Ketubot 16b.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            I wish that every student with whom I work developed according to a predictable, linear path.\u00a0 Such is not the case.\u00a0 Students graduate and each develops uniquely.\u00a0 Some continually grow in their commitment to Torah and Judaism.\u00a0 Others struggle.\u00a0 Some of those who struggle experience periods during which observance becomes a daunting challenge.\u00a0 Some surrender […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":843,"featured_media":35778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-purim"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Important Message from Achashverosh - Jewish Holidays<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/important-message-achashverosh\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Important Message from Achashverosh - Jewish Holidays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I wish that every student with whom I work developed according to a predictable, linear path.\u00a0 Such is not the case.\u00a0 Students graduate and each develops uniquely.\u00a0 Some continually grow in their commitment to Torah and Judaism.\u00a0 Others struggle.\u00a0 Some of those who struggle experience periods during which observance becomes a daunting challenge.\u00a0 Some surrender […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/important-message-achashverosh\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jewish Holidays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OrthodoxUnion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-13T11:01:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-02-13T11:06:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/files\/message.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"476\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"252\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rabbi Bernie Fox\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rabbi Bernie Fox\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/important-message-achashverosh\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/important-message-achashverosh\/\",\"name\":\"An Important Message from Achashverosh - 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